After wasting quite a bit of breath, Weston finally managed to bluff the Luminance Dragon so thoroughly that the creature agreed to the plan of 'becoming human and blending into a human kingdom' in a state of dazed confusion.
Accompanied by a flash of golden light, the giant dragon's body shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, stopping only when he reached a size similar to that of a human.
Once the light faded, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties appeared in his place. He had shoulder-length, pale gold hair and was roughly the same height as Weston, but with a slightly slender build and a clean, fair face. He gave off the distinct vibe of a "submissive otaku."
"You said your name was... what again?"
"I am the 'Luminance Dragon', Lichtswivsky!!"
Weston nodded: "That name is too long. How about we just call you 'Little Light' from now on?"
"No, pick another one!"
"Eh? Why?"
"That nickname carries a strange sense of malice!"
So sharp?
Weston laughed and waved his hand dismissively: "Where's the malice? It's just your imagination!"
"Stop playing dumb!"
The Luminance Dragon cast an unfriendly glance at Weston: "My magic has the ability of 'Malice Perception.' The shallow disguises of a hypocritical guy like you can't be hidden from me at all!"
"Ho-oh..."
Weston raised an eyebrow, finding this highly interesting: "So such a variation of Light Magic actually exists in this world..."
"Fine then, how about I call you 'Licht' from now on?"
"That works!"
"One more thing. You'll need to change the way you talk. That half-ancient, half-modern style sounds way too awkward!"
"Tch, what a pain!"
Taking on a human appearance, adopting a name close to humans, and speaking like a human...
In just a few minutes, the Luminance Dragon—who had just claimed to be part of the 'opposition faction'—had undergone such a massive transformation that even Weston found it somewhat unbelievable.
"You don't seem very repulsed by 'becoming human'?"
"Back in the Northern Continent, were you really a member of the opposition faction that supported 'fighting humans'?"
"Of course!"
Licht's voice was firm and powerful, but then his tone shifted: "However, the situation on the Northern Continent is probably different from what you imagine."
"In reality, whether it's dragons who are friendly with humans or dragons who fight them, both are just small minorities."
"Not everyone in the 'opposition' actually participates in fighting humans; and not everyone in the 'peace faction' likes making friends with humans."
"Most dragons just hold those titles of 'opposition' or 'peace' in name only."
"After all, to a dragon, 'humans' aren't the only ingredient on the menu."
"Furthermore, with the emergence of Wizards and the Magic Council, 'preying on humans' brings more and more trouble."
"So as long as humans don't actively come knocking to start trouble, most dragons are happy to hide in the deep mountains and sleep—waking up to eat, sleeping when full, and idly whiling away their days (just like me)."
After Licht explained it this way, Weston understood.
It was the same principle where the vocal ones in a group are usually a minority, and those people happen to be the loudest.
A dragon like 'Luminance Dragon' Licht was the type who held the title of 'opposition' but didn't actually take the initiative to attack humans.
By comparison, they were more like a 'neutral faction,' just one that leaned slightly toward the 'opposition.'
While Weston was lost in thought, Licht patted his shoulder, ready to head out.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Go?"
"Didn't you just say you'd help me find my dragon friend? There's no time to lose, so of course we act immediately! Unless you're planning to back out?"
"No need to be in such a rush!"
Weston said with a smile: "Finding a dragon isn't a simple task, otherwise your friend would have been killed by Acnologia long ago!"
"I'll take you back to town first and teach you how to blend into human society!"
"Who knows? After living there for a while, you might actually grow to like human life!"
Licht's eyes rolled slightly: "...Fine."
Soon, Weston led Licht out of the valley to regroup with his companions and the Council forces.
"Master Weston, this person is..."
"A new friend I made, named Licht. From now on, he'll be a core member of Fairy Tail!"
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.
"A core member of the guild...?"
"Then that commotion in the valley earlier... could it have been caused by you and this Brother Licht clashing, Master?"
"You could say that!"
"Hiss... so strong!!"
At this point, Captain Duke awkwardly stepped forward: "Um, Master Weston, those subordinates of mine who went into the valley earlier..."
Almost forgot about that!
"Ah, unfortunately!"
Weston instantly went into actor mode, his face showing grief: "For some reason, they suffered extraordinary injuries and are currently unconscious. Their fate is unknown."
"I couldn't bring them all out by myself. You should take your men in immediately; there might still be a chance to save them!"
"But..."
"I've already cleared the dangers in the valley. It's very safe in there now!"
Hearing Weston's guarantee, Duke finally sighed in relief and led his subordinates hurriedly into the valley to rescue the injured.
Weston didn't know how many he could save, but since Licht hadn't eaten them at the time, it meant he had shown some restraint during the fight, so the probability of rescuing them wasn't zero.
The mission to 'scout the Dark Alliance' remnants was over. After reorganizing on the spot, Weston led his guild partners and the newly joined Licht on a spirited journey back to Magnolia.
...
The entire 'Anti-Darkness Operation' had taken a total of over a month.
In the process, besides successfully rooting out several groups of Dark Alliance remnants, the group had also dealt with numerous takes advantage of, thugs, and wealthy tyrants who had been oppressing the locals, causing Fairy Tails' reputation to skyrocket once again.
However, the damages caused during this process were not small either.
If Weston hadn't arranged things with Councilor Zanke beforehand—stipulating that all damages caused by the guild during this time would be covered by the Council—this group would likely have had to sell their houses and empty their savings to compensate victims the moment they returned to Magnolia.
On the other hand, under Weston's deliberate guidance, Licht successfully integrated into life in Magnolia. In just one day, he was captivated by the unique lifestyle there.
"Your town actually has Exceeds performing delivery services?!"
"That's truly convenient!"
"This way, can't I just stay home every day without going out, living a leisurely life of eating and sleeping?!"
"Great, it's decided!"
"I'm settling down here from now on!"
"As for a house, let's start by renting one for a hundred years!"
☰